[Biology Class Notes] on Fungi Life Cycle Pdf for EXAM

Fungi are saprozoic heterotrophic organisms that exist in a wide range of sizes and shapes. Many unicellular yeasts and spores of the macroscopic fungi are microscopic, in addition to the well-known macroscopic fungi (such as mushrooms and moulds). Hence, in the field of microbiology fungi are considered part of it.

Fungi benefits humans in a variety of ways. Fungi can be found on both microscopic and macroscopic scales. There is an illness caused by fungi known as mycoses by some pathogenic species. Some pathogenic fungi are opportunistic, meaning they only cause infections when the host’s immune system is weak.

They operate as environmental decomposers and are necessary for the manufacture of certain foods, such as cheese. Fungi can also make antibiotics, such as penicillin, which is made by the fungus Penicillium.

Life Cycle of a Fungi

Fungi do not all reproduce in the same way. They either reproduce sexually or asexually, in general. In biology, the term “sexual reproduction” may have a different meaning than it does in ordinary life.

‘Sexual reproduction’ simply means that the genetic information of two people is combined to generate a single person. Let’s start with the life cycles of fungi that entail sexual reproduction.

The life cycle of fungi has a wide range of examples dependent on the types of fungi. Not all fungi imitate similarly. Hence, we are going to take a gander at the life cycle of fungi in the asexual and sexual stages. 

Sexual

1. Spore (Haploid)

The spore phase is the initial stage of the fungal life cycle. All fungi start as haploid spores, which means they only have one copy of their genetic information. 

This is similar to sperm and eggs, which are similar to human sex cells. By hitching a ride on another organism or even the wind, these spores can travel great distances from where they were generated. 

The spore will germinate and produce a mass of ‘roots’ termed a mycelium after it lands in a favourable environment. These, like roots, provide nutrition to the spores, allowing them to grow.

2. Mycelium (Diploid)

At the point when the mycelium develops and creates, it may encounter other fungi. On the off chance that the two fungi are good, a cell from every one of the two mycelium fungi combine to shape into another new single cell. These new fused cells are diploid as they have more than one copy of their genetic information.

 

Mycelium (plural: mycelia) is a fungus’s hyphae extension. The mycelium is a fungus’ most vital and long-lasting component. For a long time, mycelium has been known as a fungal structure.

3. Meiosis

After the fungi have become mycelium, it enters the following procedure known as meiosis. During meiosis, a single cell splits into two cells and the genetic material from the two parents gets stirred up. The created two daughter cells don’t have indistinguishable highlights to their parents and they don’t appear to be like each other either. 

Asexual

Most fungi can ‘select’ to reproduce asexually when in the mycelium stage. Many environmental considerations, such as resource availability and wetness, impacts this decision. 

Instead of developing and uniting with another mycelium at this stage of the life cycle, the fungus produces ‘mitospores’ that are identical to the parent. After that, the mitospores produce new mycelium. This mycelium can reproduce sexually if the conditions are suitable.

The life cycle of a fungus is very unpredictable in nature as they don’t recreate in one way, however sexually and asexually dependent on the ecological conditions. Because of its particular nature, a fungus is equipped for enduring anywhere and all over the place.